Thursday, June 26, 2014

Second chances. There comes a time when we all need
one. After all, who’s perfect?

Lately I’ve been thinking about second chances in
regards to many things—relationships, dreams, challenges. Too often we just
give up. We don’t extend grace to others or to ourselves. Earlier in the week, I posted about a disastrous lunch I had with a new friend. Go here to read about it.

A few years ago, I experienced another similar lunch. The only difference was that I was the awkward one. I was “going through something,” and truly wasn’t myself. When I got into my car after lunch, I wept. I realized that in my state of mind—I was deeply hurt and upset by a situation that had nothing to do with my lunch date—I was uncomfortable meeting someone new.Unfortunately to mask that, I was chatty. Too chatty. Ridiculously chatty. When the lunch was over I realized I hardly had gotten to know her. That regret still weighs my heart. I reached out with an email apology and followed that a while later with a FB message, but she never addressed the lunch or apology.

We’re still FB friends, and we occasionally interact and see one another socially, but I grieve the loss of what could have been a pleasant friendship.

The pain I feel is because grace was not extended to me. Ouch.

Grace is extending favor, good will, kindness, love—a second chance.

But sometimes second chances can be about your personal goals and dreams. Have you abandoned a dream?

I'm a writer, yet I haven't published since 2008. Yeah. Since then I've written two more novels. But they just weren't ready to go out into the world. I worried. I fretted. I rewrote. I more or less quit writing.

I thought I'd be okay with that, but ultimately it saddened me to think my author days were over. So I decided to focus on one of those books, and I rewrote it. Again.

I extended grace—a second chance, to myself and my writing. Nothing may come of it other than the satisfaction of knowing I'm not a quitter.

So last week I started writing (REwriting) my novel again. For the sixth time. And you know what? I've slashed pages and cut characters, and I think it's better than ever.I still don't know what the outcome (publication) will be, but I was kind to my dreams and, as always, I placed them in the Lord's care. What will be, will be.So when it comes to grace, please err on the side of kindness—to other and also to yourself.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Second chances are like a fork in the road. They can lead us in a wonderful new direction.

Second chances. There comes a time when we all need
one. After all, who’s perfect?

Lately I’ve been thinking about second chances in
regards to many things—relationships, dreams, challenges.

Too often we just
give up. We don’t extend grace to others or to ourselves.

Many years ago I hosted a play date for my son with a boy
from his preschool class. The mom came also and brought her two younger
children who were the same age as my younger kids. When we’d rub shoulders
picking up our kids from school, she seemed lovely. I anticipated a nice lunch
and a pleasant afternoon.

My expectations were not met.

The afternoon was a disaster. Try as I did, I
couldn’t engage that lady in any kind of pleasant conversation. She seemed self
absorbed and shallow. The kids had a dandy time, but the few hours she sat in
my living room felt like an eternity.

About two months later she started asking me to
bring my kids to her house for a play date. My first thought was that she must
be nuts. We had nothing in common. She had NO desire to find out anything about
my interests, or me, yet she claimed she was looking for friends for her kids
and herself. I was able to make excuses a few times, but then her continual
invitations became awkward. What she wanted was a second chance. So,
reluctantly, I accepted.

I try to err on the side of kindness, but I
expected the afternoon to be a disaster, a repeat of our first get together.

I was wrong.

I had a wonderful time! She was fun and engaging.
The afternoon flew by. I would have never had such an enjoyable luncheon if I
had not given her a second chance. I would have never known the truth about our
first meeting if I had not extended grace towards her.

Turns out, the first play date occurred on the day
her husband left the family. She didn’t want to disappoint her children who
were looking forward to the fun. Her husband decided he no longer wanted to be
married, and told her that when she was half-way through her third pregnancy. He
stayed eight weeks after the baby was born to give her time to regain her
strength. In hindsight, I see that she was as gracious as could be, under those
circumstances.

That happened nearly 30 years ago, and I think
about it often. I’m grateful I was moved to give her a second chance. Sometimes
people aren’t as they first seem.

A few years ago, I experienced another similar
lunch. The only difference was that I was the awkward one. . .